I attended a JW memorial service about 2 years ago and the speaker I thought gave a good eulogy to the diseased even though he quoted a few scriptures. Just recently I attended another JW memorial and the sermon was about 10 minutes on the person and the rest a big info-commercial with a scripture quoted one after the other. I did not keep count but I would think the speaker read about 10 - 12 scriptures. It seemed very confusing just raddling off one scripture after another without much explanation in between. I know these elders follow an outline from the GB but the old crocks at the WT still don't get it. If they think this turned others on to their cult they are wrong. I asked a few outsiders what they thought and they thought it was a little much. People aren't stupid and see it for what it is, just a recruitment info-commercial.
JW Info-Commercial Memorial Service
by William Penwell 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Amelia Ashton
If they wanted to win people over at a funeral it should be with love and compassion not a full blown sales pitch.
The last JW funeral I was at I felt disgusted at the hypocrisy of it all. If anything it highlighted how cultish they were. I don't know anyone who was so impressed by a funeral they came to a meeting the following Sunday.
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joe134cd
Im going to give you an experience of an ( uber dub / married to PO elder)aunt who was relating to me about a wordly funeral she attended of a person she was having a bible study with. " you know joe they must of only spent 10 minutes talking about the individual and the rest was on the church. I was disgusted." That comment just steamed rolled me. So much so that I can recall it today.
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notsurewheretogo
I did the memorial talk years ago and made sure I read as little scriptures as possible...many came up and said they prefered that...in my public talks I would read 3 or 4 scriptures...no more...yet some rattle off 20+ in memorial talks or public talks...
You will find people who were thinkers and really put effort into their talks end up in places like here and are out...whilst those that just droned on from n outline are still in...
Cult behaviour.
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hoser
The last jw funeral I was at the elder did the 5 minute eulogy and then did go off the outline to tell the inactive jw relatives that they would not live through Armageddon to see their dead aunt. Asshole
of course a lot of people went up to him after and told him that was the best funeral talk they ever heard.
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William Penwell
I did the memorial talk years ago and made sure I read as little scriptures as possible...many came up and said they prefered that...in my public talks I would read 3 or 4 scriptures...no more...yet some rattle off 20+ in memorial talks or public talks...
The talk this same elder gave 2 years ago was much like this, very few scriptures and always reflecting back on the diseased. The one the other night like I said was one scripture after the other with no real flow and confusing. I wonder if some other elder said something to him, "well brother so and so you know you have to stick to the outline as provided for you by the GB". Of all times that you would think they would be somewhat compassionate at a memorial service but no it all was goes back to their sales pitch. Like I mentioned I spoke with a few outsiders and they were not impressed and seen it for it was a cheap info commercial.
Now it is not just the JW's. I was at some Catholic service a few months ago and it was very confusing and the priest spoke very little about the diseased.
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bemused
I've no experience of JW funerals but I've been to a few Catholic ones. They follow a set service and may include a full mass. The priest will often have no personal knowledge of the deceased - many people choose to be buried as catholics because that's the faith they were born into but they probably hadn't seen the inside of a church in many years. Unless a friend or relative gets up to say a few words, then there will be little personal about it. Having said that, I've never know a priest to use it as an advertising opportunity.
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Godsendconspirator
The first funeral I went to when I was studying was for the mother of an elder. The elder choking back tears, kept reading off scriptures. It was one thing I was never able to internalize as a witness. Why is a man preaching when he should be mourning?
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Darth Fader The Sequel
The last few memorials I have been to have left me feeling completely empty and angry. There was no celebration of the person (in these cases recently it was people who I truly loved and respected). Just the droning on about the cult.
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Wasanelder Once
A person I studied with died of a heart attack ten minutes into the public talk one Sunday. I gave a graveside talk for him. I had contacted his wife who was a witness by then. I gave a straightforward talk about him and who he was. Of course I used the condition of the dead scriptures and the ressurection, but I mentioned that he wasn't sure if that was so and we would all find out eventually. Man did I catch shit for that! lol
It was the hardest talk I ever had to give, I knew him well and liked his doubting nature. When one of the attendees came up and said "nice speech Pastor" I felt like an ass. One more nudge in the right direction. We all told ourselves we were not "religious like Christendom" when we were exactly the same thing.